The True Self: Returning to Your Original Nature

Words of Namo Amituofo, recorded and transcribed by Namo Amituofo’s disciple, Venerable HaiZe.

On the second of March, 2025, during the noon offering, Namo Amituofo provided these teachings:

The True Self is your authentic nature. It is the only source of eternal happiness, profound stability, and absolute purity. Every single being possesses this True Self within them. Why, then, do so many beings today live lives filled with anxiety, turbulence, and the heavy pollution of afflictions? Why do they struggle to keep their Six Roots pure?

The Illusion of the Physical Self

The reason is that beings do not recognise their original, true face. They mistake the false for the real. Because of this, they allow their lives to be controlled by:

• Karma: The accumulated weight of past actions.
• Karmic creditors: Those who seek balance for past harms.
• Attached spirits: Beings that cling to our energy.
• Demon crowds: Negative influences that cloud our judgment.

Because these forces take the lead, it is difficult for one to wake up. People often mistakenly believe that the physical body is the self. They spend their lives satisfying the body's various desires and needs. They do not realise that these desires and needs are merely parts of their karma. There is never an end to them, for the karma of humanity is as vast as Mount Sumeru and as deep as the great ocean. When will this cycle ever cease?

The Path of Purification

You must learn to stop the accumulation of karma through the purification practices of the Pure Land school. You must rely on the three provisions for rebirth in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss:

• Faith: A firm belief in the Buddha's vow to save you.
• Vows: A sincere commitment to reach the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.
• Practice: Diligently chanting Namo Amituofo.

By walking this path, you will gradually move toward the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. During the process of your practice, it is essential to cultivate compassion, wisdom, tolerance, and a vast mind-capacity.

The Power of the Present Moment

As Practitioner Su has often said, there is no past and there is no future; there is only the present moment to chant one Buddha's name to the end. If you can truly trust the Buddha and follow this vow with unwavering focus, you will receive the Buddha's blessings. Through this, you can chant until you reach the state of chanting without chanting, and not chanting while still chanting.

This allows the Buddha-name to permeate every part of your body, every single cell, and every being connected to you. It even permeates the very space around you. This is a supreme method to dissolve your spiritual obstacles.

Transcending Physical Suffering

Even if you encounter the realities of ageing and illness, you must not lose your faith in the Buddha’s teachings. This faith will prevent your spirit from being disturbed by the pain of the body. Within the experience of sickness and old age, you can find profound realisations. You can even use these moments to purify and elevate the quality of your spirit. This is the sign of progress in your practice: to purify again and again, to advance further and further.

Continue this until your spirit is pure and unstained, transforming consciousness into wisdom. This is the moment of Awakening, the time when you find your way back to your True Self.

The Conduct of the True Self

The True Self is capable of many things:

• It can clearly distinguish between the true and the false.
• It can act in accordance with the Universal Principle, the Truth, and the Right Way.
• It is not deceived by the physical body, the cycle of rebirth, or external environments.
• It understands the vital importance of the Buddha-name, chanting Namo Amituofo all the way to attain Buddhahood through Buddha recitation.

This is the conduct of the True Self. It is the moment you are truly able to save yourself and save all beings, leading them to rebirth in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.

Namo Amituofo